Good News Friday: Durham’s first Black-owned brewery opens

Exciting news in the Bull City. Plus: Recognizing NC State basketball great David Thompson, and a daring great dane rescue in Cary.

Good News Friday is baaaaack!

In case you’ve missed it before, we do this every Friday to help North Carolina get ready for the weekend on a positive note. We’re excited and we hope you are too, so let’s get into it. 

NC firefighters rescue 100 pound puppy

Firefighters pulled a 100-pound Great Dane puppy named Mudge from a well in the Triangle area on Dec. 2. 

Crews responded from the Rural Fairview, Swift Creek, and Cary departments and worked together to bring Mudge back to safety. 

Rural Fairview’s department said after the rescue, “Mudge is doing well and will take a very long puppy nap this evening.”

 

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Durham’s first Black-owned brewery is open

 

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East Durham’s first brewery, and Durham’s first Black-owned brewery, opened last Sunday! 

Proximity Brewing at 491 S. Driver Street is the result of Mike Potter’s long-held dream to open a brewery– but he’s not new to the industry. Potter is the co-founder of Blacktoberfest, the nation’s first beer festival centered around Black breweries and chefs that began in 2019.

First student athlete statue unveiled at NC State 

 

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David “Skywalker” Thompson, a Shelby, NC native, who led the NC State men’s basketball team to their first national championship, is the subject of the university’s first statue honoring a student athlete.

On Dec. 6 NC State unveiled the 13-foot, 2,000 pound statue outside of the Reynolds Coliseum where Thompson was in attendance.  

Thompson played three seasons at NC State from 1972-1975, and he and his teammates are known for their creation of the alley oop pass.

Spindale and Rutherfordton are closer than ever

 

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Spindale and Rutherfordton, two rural towns in western North Carolina sit side-by-side, but the road between them hasn’t always been easy to navigate. In 2022, the cities received a joint $20 million federal grant to transform the road connecting them into a “complete street,” or a pedestrian friendly thoroughfare.

The new road will allow easier crossing, improved traffic flow, connections to two major greenways, revitalize public transit spaces, and improve foot traffic to local businesses.